title: Effect of continuous speech and non-speech signals on stuttering frequency in adults who stutter.
abstract: The inhibitory effects of continuously presented audio signals (/a/, /s/, 1,000 Hz pure-tone) on stuttering were examined. Eleven adults who stutter participated. Participants read four 300-syllable passages (i.e. in the presence and absence of the audio signals). All of the audio signals induced a significant reduction in stuttering frequency relative to the control condition (P = 0.005). A significantly greater reduction in stuttering occurred in the /a/ condition (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the /s/ and 1,000 Hz pure-tone conditions (P > 0.05). These findings are consistent with the notion that the percept of a second signal as speech or non-speech can respectively augment or attenuate the potency for reducing stuttering frequency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ 07079, USA. vikram.dayalu@shu.edu
authors.forename: Vikram N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Dayalu
authors.forename: Vijaya K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Guntupalli
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalinowski
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saltuklaroglu
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Rastatter
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001307:Auditory Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011932:Reading; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013342:Stuttering / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult